Snap on drywall fastening system ii

ABSTRACT

A building wall or other partition and a system for making such partitions in which individual wallboards or panel members can be removed and rearranged by being simply snapped into place and removed from studs is disclosed. The wallboards are held in position by resilient fastener clips received in grooves formed on supporting beams or studs.

United States Patent I Allen [45] Dee. 12,1972

[54] SNAP ON DRYWALL FASTENING SYSTEM II [72] Inventor: Charles R. Allen, 551 Elinor Drive,

Fullerton, Calif. 96232 221 Filed: Jan. 14, 1971 21 App1.No.: 106,469

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 87,124, Nov. 5,

52 us. Cl. .52/243, 52/281, 52/483,

52/729 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04b 2/32 [58] Field of Search ..52/243,'28l, 483,488, 499,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Kellogg ..52l483 Lichtor ..52/5l1 1,810,597 6/1931 Corwin ..52/489 2,066,205 12/1936 Keating ..52/489 3,185,267 5/1965 Pavlecka' ..52/483 3,568,383 3/1971 Judkins et a1 ..52/210 2,277,792 3/ 1942 Small ..52/497 2,994,413 8/1961 Levy et a1 ..52/489 2,097,988 11/1937 Ross et a1. ..52/511 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,346,733 4/1963 France ..52/729 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Leslie A. Braun Attorney-Fowler, Knobbe & Martens 57] 3 ABSTRACT A'building wall or other partition and a system for making such partitions in which individual wallboards or panel members can'be removed and rearranged by being simply snapped into place andremoved from studs is disclosed. The wallboards are held in position by resilient fastener clips received in grooves formed on supporting beams or studs.

9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures l SNAP ON DRYWALL FASTENING SYSTEM II RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part of my copending patent application entitled Snap n Drywall Fastening System, Ser. No. 87,124, Filed Nov. 5, 1970.

This invention relates to fixed and portable building construction and, more specifically, relates to building partitions, such as walls, ceilings, etc. which usually are constructed after completion of the supporting structure of the building. Still more specifically, this invention relates to building partitions made up of panel members in which the panel members may be removed, rearranged, and replaced individually without the necessity of disturbing adjacent panel members.

' It has long been recognized, especially in commercial building construction, that it is desirable to provide building partitions and systems forassembling building partitions in which the entirepartition may be removed and in which individual panel members making up the partition can be removed, rearranged, or replaced with doors, windows, or other openings 'or units. Many systems and wall or partition structures have been proposed for accomplishing this result. In general, the proposed solutions involve comparatively complex structures and many of the proposals require that the panel members of which the partition is made be constructed of special materials and be of special design suitable only for use in a particular structure or system.

Many of the prior attempts to solve the problems associated with the construction of removable panel partitions have relied upon the association of hooks and slots. When this is the case, enough space must be left at one or both ends of each panel to permit the panel to be moved longitudinally with respect to the supporting beam or stud. Generally, this requires that special moulding, soundproofing, or finishing materials be provided at one or both ends of the panel.

In the prior art, wall or other partition construction systems involve panels which include elements which protrude from the surface of the panel or from the edge of the panel, or both, thereby making it difficult or impossible to stack the panels during storage and use without injury to the panels or to the fastening means. It is extremely important, in terms of economics and practical handling, that the panel members of which a partition is constructed be capable, before assembly, of being stacked for storage, transportation and general handling.

One of the important features of this invention is that panel members, such as wallboar'ds, etc., may be of any conventional construction and composed of any desired material or combination of materials. Substantially any type of unfinished, partially finished, or completely prefinished panel member may be used in the system and construction of the present invention without modification, except for the addition of a fastener strip which does not affect the storage, shipping, or handling characteristics of the panel members.

Another important feature of the invention is that the fastener strips which form a part of the inventive system and construction can be permanently secured to the panel members at the factory without making the attached to the panel members at the job site during the assembly operation, thereby avoiding the difficulties inherent in the prior art systems which use preattached but complex fasteners and the difficulties associated with the prior art systems infwhich complicated and expensive attachments, fasteners, edges, etc.', must be secured to the panel at the job site.

One of the more significant features and advantages of the invention is that the panel members which form a part of the system and of the partition can be snapped into place and removed simply by moving the panel members directly toward the supporting beam or stud for installation and by moving the panel members directly away from the supporting beam or stud to unsnap the panel from its position. Longitudinal or vertical movement is, therefore, not required. This obviates the necessityfor providing large and often unsightly space at the end of each of the panel members.

Animportant economic feature of the invention is that all of the elements of the system and of the wall or other I partition structure are easily, simply and economically constructed using conventional materials and techniques. The strips, clips and beams or studs which form elements of the system and the structure can be manufactured on a large scale using mass production techniques and a minimum of equipment, since the structures are simple and easily fabricated.

Snap-on building elements are known in the prior art, but such elements usually require the association of a large number of complex elements which must be assembled entirely or largely in the field. The system and construction of the present invention significantly reduces the number of parts required for field assembly, simplifies the field construction techniques and substantially reduces the time and cost of installation.

Most of the prior art snap in systems involve elements which of necessity must remain exposed in the finished structure. In the structure of the present invention, none of the fastening elements are exposed. It is not necessary, therefore, that the fastening elements be enameled, painted, or otherwise finished so as to conform to theappearance of the partition under construction. In addition, the conspicuous and often unsightly strips, clips, etc., which are involved in prior art systems are completely avoided by the present invention.

According to the present invention, a wallboard, or other panel member, of any desired size, shape, finish or style is provided with fastener strip along one or more edges. The fastener strip lies flat on the wall board and is provided with means for securing fastening clips to the wallboard during assembly of a wall at the job site. Fastening clips having a base portion by which the clips are attached to the wallboards and resilient grippers are attached to the wallboards at the panel members delicate, unwieldy, or difficult to store,

ship and handle. Fastener clips are quickly and easily construction site. The resilient grippers are received in grooves formed on studs or other supporting beams for securing the wallboards to the studs to form a wall, or other partition.

In the following discussion, reference will most often be made to elements of conventional vertical walls which form partitions in buildings, but the same systems, structures and techniques as are used in the construction of wall type partitions are equally applicable to other partitions, such as ceilings, half walls, etc.

The foregoing and many other advantages, characteristics and features of the invention will appear from the specification which follows and from the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the elements of the inventive system and construction showing one form of a supporting stud-type beam, a fastener clip, and a fastener strip secured to a wallboard;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a section of a wall partition constructed according to this invention; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse section of a wall joint showing the utilization of a stud and fastener clips in accordance with the invention.

The drawing illustrates the structure and system of the present invention in which a panel 200 is secured to a stud 202 by means of a fastening strip 204 which is secured to the panel 200 and by means of a plurality of fastener clips exemplified at 206 and 208. The wall or building partition comprises two or more stud type beams as illustrated and described in my aforementioned copending application, the entire disclosure of which'is incorporated herein by reference.

The stud is referred to as a form of a beam even though it is normally constructed and arranged for vertical disposition, since insofar as the present invention is concerned, it is not material whether the beam is vertically or horizontally disposed. In the vertical position such a beam would normally be referred to as a stud, whereas, it would normally be referred to as a joist in the horizontal position, wherein it would support a ceiling partition rather than a wall partition as illustrated in the drawing.

At least one fastener strip is secured to each wallboard, or other type of panel member, to form means for securing fastener clips to the wallboard. The fastener strip may be secured to the wallboard adhesively using any of the conventional construction adhesives, such as phenolic, epoxy and urea formaldehyde type adhesives. in addition to, or in lieu of, adhesive securement, the fastener strip may be secured to a wallboard by means of frictional fasteners such as a tine formed from the strip, illustrated in my copending patent application, and extending into the wallboard. Other types of frictional fasteners such as screws, rivets, nails, etc., may also be used.

As illustrated, the fastener strip may have formed therein a plurality of key shaped apertures having an enlarged portion 210 formed and adapted to receive the base of a fastener clip and a smaller portion 212 formed and adapted to engage the base of a fastener clip to secure the fastener clip to the wallboards or other panel member.

The fastener clip comprises a base portion 214 and a pair of opposed resilient grippers comprising opposing sides of the bead 216 which, when assembled, extend approximately perpendicularly outwardly from the plane of the panel member to which the clip is attached. The clip is attached to the panel member by means of a fastener strip on the panel member which is provided with apertures which receive and engage the base of the fastener clip. Other means for securing the fastener clip to the wallboard and fastener strip may, of course, be provided without deviating from the present invention. For example, the fastener clip could be provided with a hook which would engage in a slot in the fastener strip, could be secured to the fastener strip by means of a frictional fastener such as a screw, rivet, etc., or could even be adhesively secured to the fastener strip, although the latter procedure would severely impair field assembly of walls according to this invention.

The stud 202 is normally composed of extruded aluminum but other materials can be used. The stud 202 has two side web portions 218 and 220, each having two grooves shown respectively at 222 and 224 and at 226 and 228. The two side web portions 218 and 220 are secured in spaced relation by a center web portion 230 which is so constructed as to form a raceway 232 for receiving electrical conductors, such as telephone cables, intercommunication system wiring, etc. The walls of the raceway can be drilled or cut at any desired point to provide for entry and exit of the electrical conductors into and out of the raceway.

The configuration of the stud, except as to the grooves and relative position of the grooves, is not critical and studs having generally the configurations shown in my copending application and other configurations are quite satisfactory.

For the construction of walls, the studs are conventionally so constructed as to include two sets of spaced grooves extending outwardly in opposite directions from the center of the studs. The studs are so constructed and the grooves are so disposed that the respective sets of grooves are adapted to receive fastener clips on the edges of two different wallboards on each side of the stud. Thus, a double wall is constructed of the wallboards wherein the adjacent edges of the wallboards on each side of the studs are in closely abutting relationship.

At least one fastener strip is secured on each panel member so as to lie substantially flat on the panel member, such as the wallboard panel members illustrated, such that no protrusions extend beyond the surface or the edge of the wallboard. This permits a multiplicity of such wallboards to be stacked, prior to assembly, without damage either to the fastener strips or to the panel members.

During on site assembly, the fastener clips are simply slid through the enlarged portion of the key shaped aperture into the smaller portion of the aperture for securement to the fastener strip and the wallboard. In practice, the clip is placed in the proper position and hit once or twice with a hammer to drive it into abutting relationship with the end of the smaller portion of the key shaped aperture. These methods of attachment of the fastener clip to the fastener strip are merely exemplary of the invention and it is expected that other fastening means may be used.

It will be apparent from the foregoing discussion and the illustrations of the drawing that the wallboards may be secured into position simply by pushing the individual wallboards directly toward the stud such that the fastener clips resiliently engage the respective grooves on the studs. No vertical movement is required and, consequently, it is not necessary to provide a space at the end of the panel, as is the case in all or most of the prior art systems.

It is also apparent that none of the fastening means of the system are visible once the wall or other partition is completed. The configuration of the partition is easily changed by simply removing one or more of the wallboards or other panel members, by moving the panel member directly away from the supporting stud or beam, and rearranging or replacing the panel member with doors, windows, etc.

While various embodiments of the invention are illustrated as exemplary of the system and structure of the invention, it is contemplated that many variations of the illustrated structures will be made within the skill of the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A system for assembling building panels comprising, in association, a plurality of panel members; a fastener strip secured proximate and substantially parallel to at least one longitudinal edge of the panel members, the fastener strip being so constructed and secured as to lie substantially flat on said panel memberswithout protrusions extending beyond the edge of the panel members, so asto permit a multiplicity of such panel members to be stacked without damage to the fastener strip or to the panel members during storage or shipment; a plurality of fastener clips having opposed resilient grippers and a base portion; means formed in the fastener strip for receiving the base of a plurality of fastener clips such that a plurality of the fastener clips can be quickly and easily secured at the job site to the fastener strip on the panel members; a plurality of beams constructed for spaced disposition for supporting the panel members, the beams having at least two grooves constructed and disposed to receive without restriction as to location longitudinally of the groove the resilient grippers of the fastener clips; the panel members, fastener strips, fastener clips and beams being so constructed and arranged as to permit the panel members to be removably secured to spaced beams, the removable securement being accomplished by the gripping action of the fastener clips in the grooves of the beams, said wallboards being secured into position by movement directly toward the beams and being removed from a secured position by movement directly away from the beams.

2. The system for assembling building panels as defined in claim 1 wherein the panel members have a fastener strip secured proximate and substantially parallel to each longitudinal side, the fastener strips being so secured and arranged on said panel members as to cause adjacent edges of the panel members to lie in closely abutting relationship.

3. The system for assembling building panels as defined in claim 2 wherein the means for receiving the base of the fastener clips comprises a plurality of apertures arranged in spaced relation along the length of the strips having an enlarged portion formed and adapted to receive the base of a fastener clip and a smaller portion fonned and adapted to engage the base of a fastener clip to secure the fastener clip to the panel members.

4. The system for assembling building panels as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for receiving the base of the fastener clips comprises a plurality of apertures arranged in spaced relation along the length of the strips having an enlarged portion formed and adapted to receive the base of a fastener clip and a smaller portion formed and adapted to engage the base of a fastener clip to secure the fastener clip to the panel members.

5. A building partition comprising, a plurality of beams, each beam including at least two grooves protruding outwardly from the center of the beam, a plurality of panel members; at least one fastener strip secured on each panel member so as to lie substantially fiat on said panel member without protrusions extending beyond the edge of the panel member so as to permit a multiplicity of such panel members to be stacked, prior to assembly, without damage to the fastener strips or the panel members; a plurality of fastener clips secured during assembly along the length of the strips in relatively spaced relation, each of said clips including opposed resilient grippers extending approximately perpendicularly outwardly from the plane of the panel member to which such clip is attached, and being attached to the panel member by means on a fastener strip on such panel member for securing the fastener clips to the panel member, the resilient grippers being so constructed as to be resiliently received by said grooves without restriction as to location longitudinally of the grooves; the building partition including at least two beams supporting at least a portion of at least two panel members, at least one of said panel members being removably secured to the beams by the gripping action of the fastener clips within the grooves of the beams; the panel members being secured to the beams by being moved directly toward the beams, and being removable by being moved directly away from the beams, so as to permit replacement and rearrangement of the individual panel members forming the partition.

6. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein the panel members have a fastener strip secured proximate and substantially parallel to each longitudinal side, the fastener strips being so secured and arranged on said panel members as to cause adjacent edges of the panel members to lie in closely abutting relationship in the partition.

7. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein each fastener clip includes a base portion and the means for securing the fastener clips comprises a plurality of apertures arranged in spaced relation along the length of the strips having an enlarged portion formed and adapted to receive the base of a fastener clip and a smaller portion formed and adapted to engage the base of a fastener clip to secure the fastener clip to a panel member.

3. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein the beams are vertically disposed studs and the panel members are wallboards and wherein the studs are so constructed as to include two sets of spaced grooves extending outwardly in opposite directions from the center of the studs, said studs being so con structed and the grooves being so disposed that the respective sets of beads are adapted to receive fastener clips on the edges of two different wallboards on each side of the stud so as to form a double wall of the wallboards wherein adjacent edges of the wallboards on each side of the studs are in closely abutting relationship.

9. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein the studs comprise two side web portions, each carrying two grooves, joined by a center web which forms a raceway for electrical conductors.

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1. A system for assembling building panels comprising, in association, a plurality of panel members; a fastener strip secured proximate and substantially parallel to at least one longitudinal edge of the panel members, the fastener strip being so constructed and secured as to lie substantially flat on said panel members without protrusions extending beyond the edge of the panel members, so as to permit a multiplicity of such panel members to be stacked without damage to the fastener strip or to the panel members during storage or shipment; a plurality of fastener clips having opposed resilient grippers and a base portion; means formed in the fastener strip for receiving the base of a plurality of fastener clips such that a plurality of the fastener clips can be quickly and easily secured at the job site to the fastener strip on the panel members; a plurality Of beams constructed for spaced disposition for supporting the panel members, the beams having at least two grooves constructed and disposed to receive without restriction as to location longitudinally of the groove the resilient grippers of the fastener clips; the panel members, fastener strips, fastener clips and beams being so constructed and arranged as to permit the panel members to be removably secured to spaced beams, the removable securement being accomplished by the gripping action of the fastener clips in the grooves of the beams, said wallboards being secured into position by movement directly toward the beams and being removed from a secured position by movement directly away from the beams.
 2. The system for assembling building panels as defined in claim 1 wherein the panel members have a fastener strip secured proximate and substantially parallel to each longitudinal side, the fastener strips being so secured and arranged on said panel members as to cause adjacent edges of the panel members to lie in closely abutting relationship.
 3. The system for assembling building panels as defined in claim 2 wherein the means for receiving the base of the fastener clips comprises a plurality of apertures arranged in spaced relation along the length of the strips having an enlarged portion formed and adapted to receive the base of a fastener clip and a smaller portion formed and adapted to engage the base of a fastener clip to secure the fastener clip to the panel members.
 4. The system for assembling building panels as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for receiving the base of the fastener clips comprises a plurality of apertures arranged in spaced relation along the length of the strips having an enlarged portion formed and adapted to receive the base of a fastener clip and a smaller portion formed and adapted to engage the base of a fastener clip to secure the fastener clip to the panel members.
 5. A building partition comprising, a plurality of beams, each beam including at least two grooves protruding outwardly from the center of the beam, a plurality of panel members; at least one fastener strip secured on each panel member so as to lie substantially flat on said panel member without protrusions extending beyond the edge of the panel member so as to permit a multiplicity of such panel members to be stacked, prior to assembly, without damage to the fastener strips or the panel members; a plurality of fastener clips secured during assembly along the length of the strips in relatively spaced relation, each of said clips including opposed resilient grippers extending approximately perpendicularly outwardly from the plane of the panel member to which such clip is attached, and being attached to the panel member by means on a fastener strip on such panel member for securing the fastener clips to the panel member, the resilient grippers being so constructed as to be resiliently received by said grooves without restriction as to location longitudinally of the grooves; the building partition including at least two beams supporting at least a portion of at least two panel members, at least one of said panel members being removably secured to the beams by the gripping action of the fastener clips within the grooves of the beams; the panel members being secured to the beams by being moved directly toward the beams, and being removable by being moved directly away from the beams, so as to permit replacement and rearrangement of the individual panel members forming the partition.
 6. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein the panel members have a fastener strip secured proximate and substantially parallel to each longitudinal side, the fastener strips being so secured and arranged on said panel members as to cause adjacent edges of the panel members to lie in closely abutting relationship in the partition.
 7. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein each fastener clip includes a base portion and the means for securing the fastener clipS comprises a plurality of apertures arranged in spaced relation along the length of the strips having an enlarged portion formed and adapted to receive the base of a fastener clip and a smaller portion formed and adapted to engage the base of a fastener clip to secure the fastener clip to a panel member.
 8. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein the beams are vertically disposed studs and the panel members are wallboards and wherein the studs are so constructed as to include two sets of spaced grooves extending outwardly in opposite directions from the center of the studs, said studs being so constructed and the grooves being so disposed that the respective sets of beads are adapted to receive fastener clips on the edges of two different wallboards on each side of the stud so as to form a double wall of the wallboards wherein adjacent edges of the wallboards on each side of the studs are in closely abutting relationship.
 9. The building partition as defined in claim 5 wherein the studs comprise two side web portions, each carrying two grooves, joined by a center web which forms a raceway for electrical conductors. 